Tag Week 2014

Without the help of donors, campus landmarks like the Memorial Chapel, Administration Building, Ann Peppers Hall, and Bekins might never have been built.

Educating students about the philanthropy that made those structures possible is the point of Tag Week, now in its second year. Banners are going up across campus on Jan. 27 to show which buildings came to be thanks to gifts from parents, alumni, students, and friends of the University.

“The concept behind Tag Week originated from the idea of Bulldogs for Life,” Chris Alvarez ‘07, associate director of annual giving, said. “The purpose is to create an innovative and engaging way to keep students connected and promote a solid education of the importance of philanthropy, especially as they transition to alumni. The banners are a way to signify that this building is here because someone made a gift to have it built, whether it was one person or many.”

The buildings will also have signs in front of them, giving historical facts about the donors and the structure itself.

“In the case of Ann Peppers Hall, well over 100 donors gave to have that built,” Alvarez said. “They wanted to support the arts. While the Ann Peppers Foundation gave a lot of money, so did a lot of alumni and parents. You don’t have to give millions.”

Tag Week programming will begin on Feb. 3, with students writing quotes about philanthropy in chalk around campus. On Feb. 4, students and some professors will wear Tag Week shirts, and on Feb. 5, students will “dorm storm,” stopping by each room to drop off banks that can be used to collect coins for the next month.

“This shows that participation counts, and that small gifts come together to add up to make a lot of money,” Alvarez said.

Students can also get involved by visiting the Hunsaker Center Feb. 6 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. A table will be set up to write postcards thanking donors for their gifts to the University. Endowed chairs will do their part by sharing during class the importance of philanthropy, and many will wear the same Tag Week shirts as students.

“During Tag Week, the education of philanthropy is going to be done through students primarily,” Alvarez said. “I want students to learn about it from their peers, because I think it might have more of an impact than an administrator saying it. We will have about 200 students wearing the same T-shirts on the same day, and hopefully this will get other students asking questions in class, in the Commons, or anywhere.”

The Class of 2016 will be the first to experience Tag Week every year while at Redlands, and Alvarez hopes it makes a lasting impression on every class after that.

“We currently don’t really have a culture of philanthropy here,” he said. “The campus community is very philanthropic with time, but not necessarily with resources. It’s important to highlight that they go together. We’re trying to instill that point early on, so when you’re a senior you’ll give $20.14 for the Class of 2014. If every senior did that, we would have over $5,000 for the senior gift, which this year is going to Community Service Learning.”